Quite recently, (i'm terribly late, I admit) I saw the movie 'Rango' and really enjoyed it, as well as the characters and story. I've decided to give a fanfiction for it a try. If I manage to continue through it, it will be rated M for later chapters (not for violence, either), but for now i'm keeping it as T. I hope you enjoy this first chapter (as short as it may be) and tell me what you think. I'm going to try my best to not make Adina too...I can't think of a way to describe it. Mary-sue-ish, I suppose? Though it might already be too late for that. I just don't want her to sound like she was created by a fangirlish tween who's added her own personality into the character, as well as the other characters from the movie a bit. I apologize ahead of time if anyone is OOC. Hey, I was only able to watch the movie twice before my OnDemand order ran out and i'm still waiting for my dvd to be mailed in. Well...anyway, I hope someone finds this enjoyable. This is really more of a prologue than a real chapter, though, given the length.
The sun was less than merciful on this particular afternoon in the desert. But then again…expecting the opposite seemed less than an appropriate normality. The loud pop of a tire sounded loudly amongst the highway of speeding cars, and a large truck pulled off to the side of the beaten road, which was nearly steaming from the rays of heat glaring down.
"Dammit, Eddy!" snapped the less than pleased man sitting in the passenger's seat of the large vehicle. "I finally take a break after drivin' fer…the good Lord knows how long, and there you go poppin' good tires that're worth more than we make in a day's work!" The older man brushed off a couple of stray French fries laying on his once white shirt before taking off his hat and itching his head.
"Ain't my fault, Earl! Whaddya want me to do, tell ever'one to keep the highway clean?" the second, slightly younger man retorted, turning the key in the ignition to shut off the engine.
"Noooo…what I want ya teh do is hop inta the back and get out the goddamned spare I made you bring with us just in case ya screwed up." Earl barked, rolling up a magazine laying under his seat and whacking the other over the head with it. "Well go on! Hop to it!"
The younger man scowled and grumbled as he snatched the magazine from his hand and opened his door, gagging briefly as he attempted to hop out before undoing his seatbelt. He sent Earl a glower when a snicker had sounded from his direction before yanking the belt off in a huff and getting out into the blistering heat. He made sure to slam the door extra loud before walking to the back of the truck.
"Ey! Don't slam the damn door like 'at, this ain't our truck!" Earl shouted after him.
Eddy merely rolled his hazel eyes, mumbling curses and insults before undoing the hitch and opening the back door. Climbing in and pushing his way past boxes, he finally saw the spare tire he'd been looking for laying against one of the corners in the back. "There ya are, baby girl." he set his hands on the tire and pulled it towards him. "Let's put you to some good…." the young man paused when he noticed something dark curled up just behind the tire. Pulling it away more, his brows rose at the length of smooth, black scales coiled up comfortably on the floor. Blinking, he reached into one of the boxes near him quietly and pulled out a golf club. Drawing the end of it closer, he nudged the form a few times, and received a long, smooth hiss in response. His brows rose higher. "Snake!" he scrambled back and leapt from the back of the truck. "Earl, get yer knife ready! There's a huge snake in the truck!"
The snake rose its head and blinked its bright green eyes after the young man in surprise. At the word 'knife' it recoiled a bit before slithering quickly towards the open door. "I suppose that's my cue to get out and find another ride…" she mumbled to herself, dropping down onto the hot pavement and hissing in discomfort at the intense heat. Reptile or not, this wasn't the climate she was familiar with back in Virginia. Her chin and underbelly were white, but the rest of her scales were a jet black. She was a Northern Black Racer, which wasn't normally a native to the Mojave Desert. In truth, she wasn't all too pleased with the destination fate had chosen to drop her off in. Who was she to complain, however? She needed to get away from her last home, and she had. She hadn't thought to choose where, she just thought to choose how and when.
The sound of car doors shutting, along with a mixture of voices snapped her from her thoughts as she turned to look back at the truck for a moment before slithering off the side of the road and into the desert. She hid beneath some brush and gazed at the two humans for a bit, being the curious snake that she sometimes was.
"There ain't no snake back here, boy!" Earl griped from the back of the truck as Eddy stood outside, a safe distance away, scratching his brunette head. The slightly overweight elder inched back and grunted as he slid out of the truck, holding a sharp hunting knife in one hand and the spare tire in the other. "You's seein' things!"
"But I swear! There was a snake sittin' in the back! A big one! Long as you!" the boy exclaimed.
Hardly, the snake thought to herself, raising a scaly brow at the younger human. She was only about a foot shorter. Barely a few inches over four feet in length.
"Quit yer yappin' and get this thing secured and ready." Earl spat, throwing the tire into the boy's less than waiting arms, making him fumble in a clumsy way to catch it. "We gotta be in the next city by sundown." the older man closed the back of the truck and lumbered to the passenger side door once more, leaving poor Eddy to look around in wonder and bewilderment, obviously not knowing where the snake had gotten off to.
City? The snake thought again. That wouldn't do. Too many humans, which was one species she could do without. She hated being driven to bite, but not as much as she hated being poked, prodded, manhandled, shot at, and whatever it was humans liked to do to her kind. There were two choices for her at that current moment, and they were to either follow the road, or take a chance in the desert. She hadn't had much to eat or drink within the last couple of days, and started to figure she could at least find a few fat bugs in the desert. Sighing through her nostrils slowly, she looked from the road to the dry horizon unsurely, wondering if leaving her last home had been the better choice. Either way, her life could have been cut short.
"I think the best choice for you right now lies within the desert, my friend." A soft-spoken, yet gravelly voice spoke up from behind her, making her turn.
Blinking at her plainly with a tired smile was a somewhat elderly armadillo, holding a staff in one hand and wearing a slightly worn hat on his head. She tilted her head at him curiously, glancing around briefly before looking back at him. "The desert..." she rose an eye ridge slightly. "Are you…sure on that?"
The armadillo's smile widened slightly as he offered a slow nod.
Slithering closer, not lowering her brow, she tilted her head the other way. "If you don't mind my asking…who are you?"
"Names are not as important as some may think. My father went for years not knowing the names of his friends and neighbors, but that did not stop them from helping one another out when times got rough." He flicked one of his ears to ward off a small fly. "But if you are more comfortable with having something to call me, you may address me as Roadkill."
The snake blinked. "Huh. Well…Roadkill it is then." the corner of her mouth twitched briefly in a slight smile. "Why are you trying to help me?"
"You have not given me a reason not to." he shrugged. "Not that a reason is needed." he pointed his staff towards the desert. "If you head that way, within the day you should find a town."
The snake looked in the direction he was pointing for a moment, then looked back at him. "A town? Way out there?" her mind buzzed as new questions began to form and prod at her. Aren't there dangers? Predators? Should I even trust this stranger? The poor girl was clueless. "What about you? Are you coming as well?"
"No." was his simple reply. He didn't give her a reason.
Blinking, looking a bit confused and unsure once again, she looked back towards the desert and slowly slithered towards it, averting her eyes to the old armadillo once again. "Thank you." she offered, though the tone in her voice was odd. She looked forward again and started to move at a more casual pace.
"Safe journey, miss Adina. The rains will be here soon enough. And do not worry. You made the right choice. Remember that." he called after her.
She rose her brows a bit and stopped. She looked back. "How did you know my…?" The armadillo was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, in every direction, and even reared up her body to see farther into the distance. Still, she could find no trace of him. "Name…" she lowered herself again, looking down at the dry ground for a minute in wonder before slowly turning and continuing on her way, hoping that there was some truth to Roadkill's words. That better have not just been the hunger and heat playing tricks on my mind…